Weekly Lunch Pick: a wonderfully sloppy brisket sandwich at Black Camel

Weekly Lunch Pick: a wonderfully sloppy brisket sandwich at Black Camel

This meal is best enjoyed picnic-style (Image: Renée Suen)

Black Camel’s small menu might offer only five sammies and a couple sides; nonetheless, this Rosedale sandwich bar is practically a neighbourhood institution. Our order of slow-roasted beef brisket ($7) features a generous pile of thin-sliced and meltingly tender brisket rippled with creamy fat (preparation is apparently a five-day process), tucked between plush halves of a fresh yeasty bun. For extra zing, we opt to slather the mess with the house-made barbecue sauce—a tangy blend of molasses, maple syrup, cider vinegar and Dijon mustard—and creamy horseradish, two choices from a respectable list of condiments. Finally, there’s the toppings (90 cents each): we go for the silky sweet roasted red peppers and some peppery arugula, which lend nice colour and texture. This lunch is guaranteed to be messy, so hold onto the wet nap that’s sensibly included in the order for an after-meal cleanup.

The cost: $11.75, including tax and a can of blood orange sparkling soda ($1.60).

The time: 13 minutes—eight minutes in line and five to put the order together.

Black Camel, 4 Crescent Rd., 416-929-7518, blackcamel.ca